A 75 liter Deuter backpack holds all that I anticipate I will need. Formed nicely to the contours of my back, this pack is my closet, cabinet, and home until I return to NY.
The surface area of all I carry is close to that of a full size bed sheet. Clothes are the majority but I look forward to the use of other items too. Books, journals, toiletries, and travel accessories take up what the garments do not. A stop-watch, my Canon EOS, and the netbook I type on are the only pieces of the digital world I bring along.
I never go on an adventure without a bandanna; this one requires two. A first-aid kit, which we hope gets no use, makes me feel prepared. When natural light fails to illuminate my path, the headlamp will help me to secure my footing. I am repurposing my dive knife as a land tool, and reusing quick dry towels from a past trip. My most useless item is the collapsible frisbee, but the University of Oregon gift is small and not a burden. I also carry a harmonica, perhaps I will learn it on the way.
-Nick
Thin German words float above me from the loudspeaker as I say a silent goodbye to Manhattan. Home is an illusion now, or maybe always, and like Nick, I have to rely on my packing ability to get me through the next undetermined amount of time. And of course, there are always stores that sell things if something should become necessary along the way.
Reading Gopnik's Paris To The Moon, I'm trying to add to my limited (and mostly fictional) knowledge of France. I hope to get as much out of my experience as possible, squeezing each opportunity good to the last drop. Every tent, hostel, and apartment will be my home for the night, and I will stare up at the same stars and let the moon tuck me in once again.
People keep saying how lucky I am to be going on this trip, as if I won it in a raffle or someone is footing the bill. I am lucky in certain aspects of my life, but this is not one of them. I made this from scratch, and it wasn't easy. All it takes to cancel your existing life and start a new one is courage. And luckily for me, that's one of those "fake it til you make it" sort of things.
from Dusseldorf en route to Nice, Jennifer
hey Jenn... I brought the same backpack! It's a good one.
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